ARE SUGAR GLIDERS RODENTS?
What is a rodent? Basically a rodent is an animal with two sharp, constantly growing incisors. These teeth are kept short by gnawing on hard substances such as wood. Rodents include rats, mice, hamsters and gerbils, and yes, squirrels and even the adorable chipmunk. Most rodents are small, although the biggest rodent is the capybara, which can grow over 3 feet.
Contrary to popular belief rabbits are not part of the rodent family although they have constantly growing incisors. They are part of the Lagomorph family. It is unclear whether or not guinea pigs are rodents. Even though they also have the constantly growing incisors, there are other traits that separate guinea pigs from rodents.
If one of the defining characteristics of a rodent is “constantly growing incisors” and animals that have that characteristic but differ in other ways may NOT be a rodent, then sugar gliders are definitely NOT rodents. First of all, sugar gliders are MARSUPIALS. A marsupial is an animal that carries its young in a pouch. Second, and this is very important, is that they do not have constantly growing incisors!
What about flying squirrels? Flying squirrels are considered to be rodents. Flying squirrels and sugar gliders look amazingly similar. But they are not related to each other. Sugar gliders are marsupials and flying squirrels are a “placental” animal. In other words, flying squirrels give birth like most other mammals do by carrying their young “full term” while a marsupial gives birth before the embryo is fully formed, it travels to the mother’s pouch and it remains in the pouch to finish developing.
The dietary needs of sugar gliders also vary from that of the “typical” rodent. This is where some of the biggest problems come into play with keeping sugar gliders as pets. Due to the fact they look so much like a “rodent” many people think they will do well on a diet similar to those fed to mice, rats, or gerbils. The truth is they will not do well on a diet like that, consisting mainly of seeds or nuts, and will become very unhealthy if fed that way. By the same token, many rodents would not do well if fed a sugar glider diet.
So, to conclude, sugar gliders are NOT rodents and should not be cared for in the same manner as rodents. There are numerous pages of information on this site about sugar glider care, but what about rodent care? If you plan of keeping mice, hamsters, gerbils, or rats as pets, I would suggest some good books, or join a forum for that subject (there are forums for everything!).
What about squirrels? Sometimes in the spring you may find baby squirrels on the ground, especially after a heavy storm. What should you do? Squirrels are adorable and intelligent animals. Many people desire to get one for a pet. My own hubby talks about wishing a family of squirrels would be “friends” with him. To those of you thinking of trapping or “rescuing” a squirrel , and then keeping it for a pet, I suggest visiting here: SQUIRREL FORUM before making any decisions.
One thing I want to say is I do not consider any rodent to be a “dirty” animal. Mice, hamsters, squirrels, and rats are all capable of showing affection for their caretakers and will amaze you with their level of intelligence.
“Treat others as you want to be treated” includes the animal kingdom.
